Chelsea will step up their interest for Sergej Milinkovic-Savic if any of their rivals make a move for the Lazio midfielder, claims The Independent.
Milinkovic-Savic has emerged as one of the most talented midfielders in Europe in the last 12 months and has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United.
Jose Mourinho’s side were the frontrunners to sign the Serbia international before the 2018 World Cup but appear to have gone cold on the towering 23-year-old.
Lazio want to hold on to Milinkovic-Savic but will demand in the region of €100m if any of their continental rivals make an approach for his services.
Chelsea have already bolstered their midfield options with the arrival of Jorginho from Napoli but new boss Maurizio Sarri still wants to strengthen his options.
The west London outfit have reportedly enquired to Bayern Munich for Thiago Alcantara, but Milinkovic-Savic remains a long-term target for Sarri.
Milinkovic-Savic scored 12 goals and supplied three assists from 35 league appearances for Lazio last season, while winning the WhoScored Man of the Match award on seven occasions in that time.
The young midfielder still needs to learn to be more dominant in possession, however, having been dispossessed more times than any other Serie A player last term (84).
